Suzuki will finally relent and will offer a plug-in hybrid version of its bestselling Swift hatchback. A lithium-ion battery will power the car for the first 30km (18.6 miles), then a gasoline engine will produce the juice, says The Nikkei [sub].

The plug-in hybrid is expected to cost 500,000 yen ($6,200) more than the regular Swift, with the total price not exceeding 2 million yen ($24,900 – all prices JDM.) Suzuki wants to sell several thousand in Japan first before exporting the plug-in hybrid Swift.

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11 Comments on “Suzuki To Sell Plug-In Hybrid Swift...”

Still no definitive word on whether they’re going to start selling the Swift in North America. If they’re at all serious about the NA market, then they’re fools for dragging their feet on this issue. They finally have good competitive products (and in the case of the Swift, uniquely styled), and they’re dropping the ball.

It’s only one size class below the Volt, and the price should be lower if they decide to sell it in the US (they sell the SX-4 sedan in Japan starting at 1.7million yen, which would be 21grand on a straight conversion, and is obviously way more than what we pay). The main difference is that it only has about half the electric range of the Volt, but it’s a lot less money, and if your commute is short, it won’t matter.

One difference from the Volt is that the PHEV premium is only $6500. If they could hold the differential to $7500 for a US version and if it were to qualify for the $7500 from the government, it would cost the same as the conventional version.